Youths can reel in prizes at Crappie Kids Fishing Rodeo

Shoals area youths have an opportunity to fish for trophies and other prizes along with a chance to win a college scholarship.

A Crappie Kids Fishing Rodeo for children 12 and younger is 9-11 a.m. Saturday, March 31 at Riverfront Park in Sheffield. Registration will begin at 8 a.m.. There is no charge to enter. The children can use live bait and fish for all species of fish. Children must be accompanied by an adult and have their own fishing tackle.

The fishing rodeo is sponsored by Colbert County Tourism and Convention Bureau, The City of Sheffield and Sheffield Parks and Recreation Department. It is the first Crappie Kids event in Colbert County since 2015.

“Crappie Kids Fishing Rodeos are lots of fun. It’s a great opportunity for families to spend time together, while enjoying the outdoors and our beautiful Tennessee River,” said Susann Hamlin, president and CEO of Colbert County Tourism.

Prizes will be awarded to the top anglers. Lunch will be provided. All participants will be entered into a drawing for college scholarships that will be awarded later this year.

The kid’s fishing rodeo is being held in conjunction with a Crappie USA tournament on Pickwick and Wilson lakes March 31. Many of the nation’s top crappie anglers are competing in the tournament. Weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. at Riverfront Park.

For more details about the kids fishing rodeo or the Crappie USA tournament, call Colbert County Tourism and Convention Bureau at 256-383-0783

Tournament boosts economy, provides opportunities for local anglers, children

Local anglers can turn their ability to catch crappie from Pickwick and Wilson lakes into cash and prizes.

A Crappie USA fishing tournament on the lakes Saturday, March 31, is open to local anglers. Crappie anglers from throughout the South and Midwest will compete. Weigh-in for the tournament, which is sponsored by Colbert County Tourism and Convention Bureau, begins at 3 p.m. at Riverfront Park, 1416 Alabama Ave., Sheffield.

Susann Hamlin, president and CEO of Colbert County Tourism and Convention Bureau, said in addition to opportunities for Shoals anglers to win cash and prizes, the tournament will provide a boost to the local economy.

“The anglers and their families will be staying in our hotels, eating at our restaurants, buying fuel and fishing tackle and shopping,” she said. “We are excited to be hosting America’s premier national crappie fishing tournament organization on two of our nation’s premier crappie fishing lakes. There will also be a fishing rodeo for children.”

A Crappie Kids Fishing Rodeo, presented by Colbert County Tourism and Sheffield Parks and Recreation, will be 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. March 31 at Riverfront Park. Registration begins at 8 a.m. The fishing rodeo is free for youths 12 and younger who are accompanied by an adult. Lunch will be provided. In addition to competing for trophies and other prizes for the top youth anglers, all participants will be eligible for one of six $1,000 Crappie USA college scholarships that will be awarded at the 2018 Crappie USA Classic in October. For more details call 256-383-0783.

Entry fee for the adult tournament is $125 per team in the Amateur Division and $250 per team in the Professional Division. Teams may consist of one angler or two. A third angler is allowed on a team if one is 15 years old or younger. All participants must be a member of the American Crappie Association. Membership is $30 for adults and $15 for spouse or youth members. More details are available at www.crappieusa.com or by calling 502-384-5924.

A pre-tournament seminar will be at 7 p.m. Friday, March 30 at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Tuscumbia.

Sheffield Mayor Ian Sanford is also excited about the tournament.

“It’s always great to have Crappie USA come to town. They bring in a lot of people who spend a lot of money. What they do for the children with their Crappie Kids rodeo is just fantastic.”

Timmy Horton’s tips for Pickwick Lake

Pickwick Lake in northwest Alabama belies the notion that all good things must come to an end. Completed in 1938, the bass fishing in this storied 47,500-acre Tennessee River reservoir is better than ever.

Bassmaster Elite Series tournament angler Timmy Horton was a fishing guide at Pickwick before he became one of the top bass pros in the country. He still fishes Pickwick often and is astounded by what the lake is producing.

“Last spring you had to have 30 pounds to have a shot at winning any bass tournament here,” Horton says. “A 20-pound limit no longer gives you bragging rights at Pickwick.”

Electrofishing by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources found that Pickwick’s largemouth bass were fatter than bass from other Alabama reservoirs in 2008. That was a harbinger of better things to come. Read More